Encountering Interaction

[A]

    In the previous assignment, I had chosen the film Children of Men for my Inspiring Stories analysis. 

    I had stated in the Inspiring Stories post that a long camera takes, counterculture/humor, and unexpected twists are what make this film so memorable and real. The viewer really gets immersed into the story of this film by a combination of those factors. 

[B]

    In the lecture about Ecco the Dolphin, Dr. B mentioned how something as simple as having diagonal controls made an enormous difference in how Ecco felt more "natural" to control. Even thought these controls did not at all add anything to the game overall itself. You could easily navigate the entire level(s) with just the up, down, left, right. The diagonal controls wouldn't even aid in dodging enemies, swimming faster, or any other tangible benefit. They really exist only to serve as a connection between Ecco and the player. 

    Having these kind of smooth and dynamic controls as with Ecco the Dolphin (let's assume Children of Men was to be made into a video game) would allow the player to be better immersed in the reality of that narrative. This is just one simple example, but it can be applied in a variety of areas. 

[C]

    Any long/extended camera take adds drama to the scene. It is one place in a game where you can take completely control away from the player (in a cut-scene for example) and show them only what you want them to experience. You can use this take to showcase the level, give the player an idea of where they need to be heading before the level begins. 

    The humor shown in this film of Children of Men can be applied in a successful manner to interactive media. Long, open world games, especially ones that have a lot of reading or dialogue to go through, a lot of lore, can get tedious and boring for even the most determined of players. Some unexpected pops of human can really lighten things up and keep the story interesting. I have found these events to be the most memorable of video games that I have played, and films that I've seen. There's a reason you see so many short clips of funny content shared across social media. It grabs people's attention more than anything with a serious tone. 

    A simple "push" can be made to the player that can change their expectations of the game mechanics and keep them from being idle too long. In some games, you are nudged to keep moving (I believe this is the case in Spelunky) so that you are forced to make a decision and stick with it. This will add value to the items that the player does manage to pick up as it makes it more difficult to hoard a bunch of things you do not need (I am looking at you Skyrim). This is a much better way of handling indecision over just forcing the player to choose directly between a couple of choices presented to them. These "pushes" can feel more natural and streamlines with the story. I have always found dialogue choices to somewhat break immersion away slightly. The Witcher 3 gives timed dialogue options for example, don't select an option within X seconds? Too bad, the game will make a decision for you.